Welcome to June's installment of Chainlinks! At the end of each month, we at The Chain reach out to friends and colleagues to find out what's been inspiring them. Anything goes – music, film, a book, an idea... This month, we talked to Megan Osztrosits of Couch Slut, Dan White of Pray to Keep, and Matt Cronk of Qui.
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Megan Osztrosits of Couch Slut
Megan Osztrosits is vocalist for Couch Slut, the Brooklyn band whose upcoming sophomore album Contempt (out July 28 on Gilead Media) has been described by NPR Music as "perverse beauty."
I've spent about 80% of my daylight hours so far this month floating on a raft in a pool, and barring death or any other physical catastrophe that would keep me from getting wet, I don't see a change happening until late September. Here are three songs that have accompanied said lounging.
1) Milt Jackson & John Coltrane - "Blues Legacy":
2) Máté Peter - "Elmegyek":
3) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - "Like a Lover":
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Dan White of Pray to Keep
Dan White is the drummer of Pray to Keep, and a photographer, skate enthusiast and production whiz based in South Philadelphia.
1) Things I see on the street
On my days off I love walking around the city, exploring, and just looking at everything. Trash, art, people, architecture. It’s all inspiring to me. I currently have 12,000 pictures on my phone camera roll because I’m always drawn to new things that I see. There are so many little details in our world that most people glaze over, and I set out to find them.
2) Musicians on Instagram
I follow lots of musicians online, people are always creating and sharing new melodies, beats, and songs. This pushes me to discipline myself more and practice my craft, to have fun with it and spend extra time behind my drum kit or practicing piano (though I’m not very good). I like to play along to old favorites and post them to Youtube (username: danwhite123). Seeing other people do this drives me to want to eventually create more content and hopefully inspire others.
3) Zines
My art is very visually driven and I am very inspired by others who create work with the same DIY ethic. I collect lots of zines from local artists, and attend local zine fairs to gain new perspective and support the scene. Because I take so many pictures, at any given time I can be in the middle of creating 3 or 4 different books myself so all it takes is the free time for me to get organized and put them together. It keeps my brain active and the creative mind healthy. My last zine was 30 pages of all black and white photography from my neighborhood in South Philadelphia, all the intricate things that most people would never see, but make the area so unique.
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Matt Cronk of Qui
Matt Cronk is guitarist and vocalist of LA band Qui, with releases out on Ipecac Recordings and Three One G.
1) Droolball
My dear friend Nicole has been kind enough to contribute artwork for several of our records, tour posters, and soon, a new T-shirt design. She is also the creator of Droolball, her clothing line. She started out making handmade granny panties, embroidered with slogans like, “Hatchet Wound," and, “I’m With Stupid.” From there she has branched out into other garments and accessories like her handmade coffin-shaped handbags. She has made a few shirts for me, the most recent being a black shirt with sparkly red letters that reads, "Don’t Tell Daddy." I love Nicole and her oddball aesthetic. It has become very much a part of Qui’s visual presentation.
2) Dead Rider
Dead Rider is the current band of former U.S. Maple guitarist, Todd Rittman. They are great players playing truly odd and unique music that doesn’t sound like anyone else. Totally weird and idiosyncratic. They are as discomforting as they are funny. I’m real stoked for their new record.
3) Butthole Surfers, Rembrandt Pussyhorse
I go through jags with some records where I can’t get enough of them. This is a current one for me. I’ve been listening to this record since I was 13 and I swear, I like it more and more the older I get. There is a common thread between a lot of what I find deeply inspiring that, for me, invokes a certain dark humor that is both sophomoric and intelligent at the same time. Pussyhorse is, in my opinion, a perfect alchemization of high-concept art and low-brow filth. I don’t know if it was deliberate, but the piano part in, “Sea Ferring,” has always sounded like it was bitten from “Cabin Fever,” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I’ve always liked to think they were taking the piss out of Mr. Cave and I get real kick out of that, even if I’m just imagining it.
ΩΩΩ
Megan Osztrosits of Couch Slut
Megan Osztrosits is vocalist for Couch Slut, the Brooklyn band whose upcoming sophomore album Contempt (out July 28 on Gilead Media) has been described by NPR Music as "perverse beauty."
I've spent about 80% of my daylight hours so far this month floating on a raft in a pool, and barring death or any other physical catastrophe that would keep me from getting wet, I don't see a change happening until late September. Here are three songs that have accompanied said lounging.
1) Milt Jackson & John Coltrane - "Blues Legacy":
2) Máté Peter - "Elmegyek":
3) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - "Like a Lover":
ΩΩΩ
Dan White of Pray to Keep
Dan White is the drummer of Pray to Keep, and a photographer, skate enthusiast and production whiz based in South Philadelphia.
1) Things I see on the street
On my days off I love walking around the city, exploring, and just looking at everything. Trash, art, people, architecture. It’s all inspiring to me. I currently have 12,000 pictures on my phone camera roll because I’m always drawn to new things that I see. There are so many little details in our world that most people glaze over, and I set out to find them.
2) Musicians on Instagram
I follow lots of musicians online, people are always creating and sharing new melodies, beats, and songs. This pushes me to discipline myself more and practice my craft, to have fun with it and spend extra time behind my drum kit or practicing piano (though I’m not very good). I like to play along to old favorites and post them to Youtube (username: danwhite123). Seeing other people do this drives me to want to eventually create more content and hopefully inspire others.
3) Zines
My art is very visually driven and I am very inspired by others who create work with the same DIY ethic. I collect lots of zines from local artists, and attend local zine fairs to gain new perspective and support the scene. Because I take so many pictures, at any given time I can be in the middle of creating 3 or 4 different books myself so all it takes is the free time for me to get organized and put them together. It keeps my brain active and the creative mind healthy. My last zine was 30 pages of all black and white photography from my neighborhood in South Philadelphia, all the intricate things that most people would never see, but make the area so unique.
ΩΩΩ
Matt Cronk of Qui
Matt Cronk is guitarist and vocalist of LA band Qui, with releases out on Ipecac Recordings and Three One G.
1) Droolball
My dear friend Nicole has been kind enough to contribute artwork for several of our records, tour posters, and soon, a new T-shirt design. She is also the creator of Droolball, her clothing line. She started out making handmade granny panties, embroidered with slogans like, “Hatchet Wound," and, “I’m With Stupid.” From there she has branched out into other garments and accessories like her handmade coffin-shaped handbags. She has made a few shirts for me, the most recent being a black shirt with sparkly red letters that reads, "Don’t Tell Daddy." I love Nicole and her oddball aesthetic. It has become very much a part of Qui’s visual presentation.
2) Dead Rider
Dead Rider is the current band of former U.S. Maple guitarist, Todd Rittman. They are great players playing truly odd and unique music that doesn’t sound like anyone else. Totally weird and idiosyncratic. They are as discomforting as they are funny. I’m real stoked for their new record.
3) Butthole Surfers, Rembrandt Pussyhorse
I go through jags with some records where I can’t get enough of them. This is a current one for me. I’ve been listening to this record since I was 13 and I swear, I like it more and more the older I get. There is a common thread between a lot of what I find deeply inspiring that, for me, invokes a certain dark humor that is both sophomoric and intelligent at the same time. Pussyhorse is, in my opinion, a perfect alchemization of high-concept art and low-brow filth. I don’t know if it was deliberate, but the piano part in, “Sea Ferring,” has always sounded like it was bitten from “Cabin Fever,” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I’ve always liked to think they were taking the piss out of Mr. Cave and I get real kick out of that, even if I’m just imagining it.
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